"Must Be Love" 16x20" Oil on Linen

"Cherry Me" 10x20 Oil on Linen

Another Class Study I'm Working On....

"Juicy Fruit" by Randy Blasquez - STILL LIFE DEMO

After the initial lay in you can see in the previous post that I wiped out the lights, being sure to keep the shapes very simple while looking for the lights and darks, and very importantly the movement of the darks through the painting.

At this point I checked to be sure I was happy with the lyrical feel of the piece. This is very important, and this is the time to get it right. The basic structure has to be pleasing to the eye or you will be building a painting "on the sand".

I began to lay in the color, shadows first, then the lights (opaque colors).  At this point I mixed some "general" color piles on my palette, using plenty of paint. I was keeping in mind that I need not go too light until much later in the process. I am always keeping in mind that when I'm working in the light I am staying the the light values- and when I'm working in the darks I am staying in the darker piles.

I am using a more transparent approach in the darks and more opaque paint in the light and middle values. Although the middle value at this point is still a lot of the under painting.

Here I have continued to work in color while adjusting shadows and lights, comparing one to the next, adjusting again.

More paint, more juicy cantaloupe color. I used as much "rich" color as I could, staying away from adding white. I used hansa yellow/orange, mixed with cad red, rose, and naples light.

 

I added the reflected lights on the table, being careful to keep the edges soft and the color muted.

A few more lights.....

and adjustments....

 and final touches....

I really laid on the paint at this point, scooping up the paint from my mixed piles. I added some lines and edges, and softened some areas.

"JUICY FRUIT"

Oil on Linen  16x20"

by Randy Blasquez

Wednesday's Oil Painting Class Demo

Wednesday's Oil Painting Class Demo

We had a full class Wednesday and I set up a still life that was inspiring, (to me anyway!)

I loved the beautiful colors and shapes within this set up - also the dramatic light situation.

I wanted to paint bold, expressive shapes and explained to the class how important it is to begin a painting with the abstract in mind. I instructed them to use three values and three shapes only - for starters. This will help you see the beauty in the dark shapes against the beauty of the light shapes........

After you get that far, look at your abstract composition before going further. 

Use a mirror. Walk away and look. Squint at your setup! Look for beautiful flowing darks that move your eye. See the lighted shapes and how they are leading you on a journey. Look for movement in your painting. If your eyes are pleased by what you see, move on to more paint.....

I will post the next stage later today and then the finished piece so stay tuned.

Don Hatfield Still Life Class at Capital Art Center

Don's Demo

I started this 4 week class last week. When I heard about it I jumped. Don is an amazing teacher and painter, so I made time for this. I am teaching still life to my students on Wednesday, so I knew I could learn something (a lot!) from Don that would enable me to be a better teacher myself. As a teacher I want to give my students what they need to succeed.
We were very blessed today to witness this beautiful demonstration. Don paints in a manner that resembles Sergei Bongart, whom he studied with 8 hours a week for two solid years. It was exciting to see this painting come together from start to finish. Even though Don complained about how things were not working out, it is obvious that things worked out very nicely!
He talks a lot about large color/value shapes. I cannot stress this enough. I still want to paint smaller value shapes way too early in my paintings. But Don says just wait, and it will pay off. He starts with a lot of grayed down color where as I usually start with more color. I find it interesting the way he "finds" the value/color, by studying his subject and "comparing one value next to another". I saw it work right before my eyes. It was wonderful to see his subject come alive when he found the correct value! I want to paint this way and I feel very fortunate to be able to work with Don here in Sacramento.
Don just put out a new video, so go to his blog and find out more.....
http://hatfieldfineart.blogspot.com/

Sunrise on the Vines

Commission Piece
Sunrise on the Vines    30x48     oil on canvas

I think it's finished. I wanted to moody early morning feel for this piece. In order to capture the colors that the couple wanted for their family room, I decided that a sunrise scene would work the best. I might make a couple more slight adjustments, but it is finished for the most part. I took this photo in very bad light, so it is not quite this dark, but you get the idea.........